HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 46 of 2022 with MENU PLANS & RECIPE LINKS

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Let’s face it, life has been strange these past few years since COVID and such. When I ran across this one from Sweatpants & Coffee, one of my favorite memes, I realized it was THE PERFECT sentiment to express how I feel, and I bet many others do too.

By my doing Happy Homemaker Monday, EVERY MONDAY, loyally for all these years AND so extensively it has helped keep me on track with my daily life. It truly summarizes the previous week and lays out a fairly concise plan for the current week. This helps me the most whenever my week is too busy to think or to get everything done or when I think, hmmm what did I get done last week. BUT, I couldn’t do it without my coffee 😀

I tried returning to coffee every day for a few weeks, but am back mostly to hot water with my morning yogurt.

We have another cloudy week of low temps 40’s, with next to no rain so I’m hoping to get a little sun time one afternoon to get a Christmas paint project done. I just need ONE SINGLE hour above 50! Lows at night will be in the high 20’s and low 30’s. It’ll be a lots of layering (Levi’s, turtlenecks, flannels…) and UGGs week.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING ALL up to date – I did a deep clean yesterday including most of the laundry after Rizzo went home. I just have our bedding to do.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS We have friends coming for dinner on Thursday so I’ll go in on Tuesday to do the grocery shopping.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS We canceled the trip we had planned for the end of the month to Silverton – the traffic staying at the hotel was going to be a nightmare because the light show and German market were also on the same grounds with a single point of entry. We found a better deal for what will ultimately be a better trip, closer to home AND for less money on top of it going to see Shore Acres! It’s the first time it will be open since COVID! I took a Santa Gnome painting class last week and my friend is putting together a paint and sip party for Saturday at the Eagles post. Fortunately the picture is something completely different, autumn corn, and not another gnome 😀  I also signed up for 2 classes in December (neither of which is a gnome) that I’m also looking forward to.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m working on December and January’s menus, but have yet to really pin it down.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX NCIS reruns – we’re up to the middle of season 15
  • AMAZON PRIME How I Met Your Mother reruns
  • CABLE The new season of Yellowstone started last night along with the new show Tulsa King starting next Sunday. COOKING SHOWS The Big Bake, Christmas Baking, Christmas Cookies, Guy’s Game Night, Girl Meets Farm COMEDIES Young Sheldon and Ghosts POLICE/MEDICAL DRAMAS NCIS series – regular, LA and Hawaii, Chicago series – Med, Fire and PD, Blue Bloods, FBI series – regular, Most Wanted and International, Law & Order series – regular and SVU, Rookie & Rookie Feds, The Resident, New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor, Fire Country  SYFY/FANTASY Quantum Leap, La Brea, The Walking Dead REALITY Amazing Race HALLMARK Christmas movies

While I don’t always stay asleep, I have been falling asleep as my head hits the pillow each night. So, I haven’t read much at all lately. I’m still working on Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne Maclean.
11/14 MONDAY
11/15 TUESDAY
11/16 WEDNESDAY
11/17 THURSDAY
11/18 FRIDAY
11/19 SATURDAY
11/20 SUNDAY
DINNER
 MEXICAN QUICHE
 TUSCAN CHICKEN PASTA with LEMON THYME BROCCOLI
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
DINNER for FRIENDS: BLESSMOSAS, CARAMEL APPLETINIS, THANKSGIVING MARGARITAS, WINTER PORK ROAST, JACKET POTATOES, SALAD
CHICKEN WAFFLES
TUSCAN CHICKEN MOZZARELLA CASSEROLE & SALAD
 RAILROAD SAMMIES with HOMEMADE GIARDINEIRA
DESSERT
 CARMELITAS
SWEET LIME HATCH CHILE CHEESECAKE and KEY LIME CRANBERRY PIE
CRANBERRY VODKA for CHRISTMAS GIFTS

The munchkin’s munchkin went home last Saturday. She is such a sweetheart and easy to have around. We were sad to see her go. 🙁 But happy to see her comfortable back with her favorite munchkin at home.

This one is just a funny. I’m too much of a perfectionist to ever do this and I do fold my fitted sheets nice and neatly. In fact I find it quite easy, though it is still a pain in the neck 😀

MONKEY MEAT SANDWICH SPREAD

I found the original recipe on face book, but it’s a new favorite of hubbies (despite the yellow color). Monkey Meat… it’s not what you think! I love how she begins this recipe, “Before you run away, let me clarify – no monkeys were harmed in making this Monkey Meat. There are also no bananas… let me explain…” I had no idea where the name REALLY came from, but I adored it so I read on. The mixture itself reminds me of the UNDERWOOD deviled ham from when I was a kid.

She said it was an old family recipe, a sandwich spread made by her grandma when she was trying to feed 4 hungry kids on a tight budget. She would grind up bologna with her homemade pickles to save a bit of money and stretch her food budget. Her grandfather, a quirky science teacher was the one that coined the name, Monkey Meat. And while an odd name, the recipe is so worth a try! Her recipe used only mayo, but hubby can’t eat bologna without mustard so I adapted it to suit him, though the color is a bit off putting 😀

MONKEY MEAT SANDWICH SPREAD adapted from I WASH YOU DRY

1 pound piece of bologna, cut into cubes
5 to 6 QUALITY baby dill pickles, drained
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup mustard

  • In a food processor pulse the bologna several times until it becomes very finely chopped, place in a large bowl.
  • Wipe out the food processor and add the dill pickles, pulse a few times until very finely chopped.
  • Toss the dill pickles with the bologna.
  • Stir in the may and mustard mixture.
  • Keep chilled.
  • Spread on crackers or your bread for a delicious sandwich!

MEXICAN QUICHE

MEXICAN QUICHE

1 10 inch flour tortilla burrito size
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken pieces
1/3 cup FINELY chopped FRESH cilantro leaves
4 ounce can chopped green chiles, drained well
1/2 cup salsa
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
FRESH ground salt and pepper
2 LARGE eggs
1 cup WHOLE milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

GARNISHES
Sour cream
Salsa
Guacamole
Chopped green onions

  • Preheat oven to 450°.
  • Grease 9-inch spring form pan.
  • Press tortilla into prepared pie plate and spray lightly with cooking spray.
  • Toss chicken, salsa, cilantro, green chiles, 1 cup of the cheese, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper in large bowl until combined.
  • Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, and FRESH ground sea  salt and black pepper in bowl until smooth.
  • Slowly pour egg mixture over chicken mixture and fold to combine.
  • Spread filling evenly into tortilla.
  • Bake until surface is golden brown, 25-30 minutes or until set when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top and bake for about 3-5 minutes more until cheese is melted.
  • Let cool 5 minutes.
  • Cut into wedges and serve.
  • Serve with your favorite garnishes.

NOTES: The chicken can be easily traded out for browned ground beef or a pulled pork.

OATMEAL MUFFINS

OATMEAL MUFFINS adapted from GET POCKET

Yield: Makes 12 muffin cups

2 LARGE eggs
1 1/2 cups WHOLE milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or other fruit purée like mashed banana or even canned pumpkin
1/4 cup nut butter or 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup or QUALITY honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract (see notes)
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon QUALITY ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, or chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup golden raisins or chopped dried fruit of choice or both 😀 (optional)

  • Preheat oven 350°.
  • Coat the wells of a standard 12-well muffin tin very well with cooking spray or line with papers.
  • 
Add the eggs, milk, applesauce, nut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. 

  • Add the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and fold with a rubber spatula until combined. 

  • Fold in fruits, nuts and coconut.
  • Divide the oatmeal mixture evenly among the muffin wells, filling each one up to the top. 

  • Bake 25-30 minutes until slightly risen, dry on top, and golden-brown. 

  • Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.
  • Run a knife around each muffin and remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. 


NOTES:

  • I make my own vanilla and usually have flavored on hand that adds a cit of flavor. I use Coconut Vanilla or Pineapple Vanilla regularly.
  • I also use Red Ape Cinnamon which is a high quality and extremely flavorful cinnamon.
  • The nuts, seeds and/or fruit are optional, but HIGHLY recommended. I usually add both nuts or seeds AND coconut.
  • I also recommend muffin papers to make clean up easier.
  • Muffins can be kept an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 45 of 2022 with MENU PLANS & LINKS

Doing Happy Homemaker Monday, EVERY MONDAY, loyally for all these years and so extensively helps keep me on track of my daily life as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for the current week. I look forward to doing this specific post each and every week.

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

 

 

We only had about 50 kids for Halloween because of a BIG storm that moved in that day in the afternoon, but I just love seeing them in their costumes. We had 2 that stood out a lot – an anatomically correct glow in the dark skeleton with a pumping heart and a blow up chicken.

We were supposed to have rain ALL this week and they even hinted at snow, but instead the storm slammed in over the weekend and we received ALL the rain for the week yesterday for the most part and we’ll just be cloudy the rest of the week with highs in the 40’s and lows hovering around freezing! We’re munchkin sitting for the munchkin’s munchkin, Rizzo while they are off for the week with their parental units playing at Disneyland, California Adventure and Universal Studios. So I’m really glad to not be having to take the munchkin out in the rain for walks. 😀

I LOVE layering weather! Today is a fun gold and burgundy fall colored embroidered flannel with a mock turtleneck, comfy Levi’s and YAY my UGGs are back!

I hope everyone had a great week and even better weekend, but for those who need to hear it, here is a little Monday Motivation to go with your coffee.

Breakfast was a peach yogurt with half a cup of coffee.

I have lots to do organizing some paperwork and getting ready for a bit longer BLOGMAS list this year as well as trying out some new recipes to use on the neighbor plates for the holidays, but just a quick reminder:

LOL, just saying… and please don’t think I’m crazy, but I’ve really been so looking forward to the whole Christmas season this year, that this just kinda happened last week…there is still some work to do – the train needs batteries and such, but…

The winter season came roaring in this year making me want to skip the middle between Indian summer and snow… plus no one will be here for Thanksgiving but us so why not??

This will also give me some time to fix these poor ornaments that are currently on the Island of Misfit Toys 🙁 I guess it’s inevitable as ornaments get older – glues dry out, etc… even on Hallmark ornaments. I started buying my collection of ornaments back when I was in high school so some of these are getting quite old unfortunately.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’m pretty well cleaned up from making the mess of decorating, but have a load of laundry to do and vacuuming.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I just need to make a quick trip to town for the produce for Friday night’s dinner, but other than that it’s going to be a pretty quiet week around home. I do have a painting class on Thursday night and cooking dinner for 25-30 on Friday at the Eagles post.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS We were going to take a trip at the end of the month to see a Christmas light/market festival, but after researching the traffic and logistics of it, we have decided to do something different next month instead.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m going through some old cookbooks and evaluating the tags I made to see if they would make good winter recipes for December and January.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX NCIS reruns
  • AMAZON PRIME STARGATE ATLANTIS reruns and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER reruns
  • CABLE COOKING SHOWS The Big Bake, Christmas Baking, Christmas Cookies, Guy’s Game Night, Girl Meets Farm COMEDIES Young Sheldon and Ghosts POLICE/DRAMAS NCIS series – regular, LA and Hawaii, Chicago series – Med, Fire and PD, Blue Bloods, FBI series – regular, Most Wanted and International, Law & Order series – regular and SVU, Rookie & Rookie Feds, The Resident, New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor  SYFY/FANTASY Quantum Leap, La Brea, The Walking Dead REALITY Amazing Race HALLMARK Christmas movies

I’m reading Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne Maclean – it’s starting a bit slow, but I normally like her writing so I’m hopeful it will get there soon.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
 CHICKEN & CHEESE QUESADILLA PIE
 TUSCAN CHICKEN PASTA
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
COOKING DINNER  FOR EAGLES BUFFALO CHICKEN LOADED BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE, BROCCOLI SLAW and
SALAMI RAILROAD SANDWICHES
GIARDINEIRA BRUSCHETTA 
DESSERT
CARMELITAS
SNICKERS BAR BROWNIES
CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD

We began dog sitting last Saturday for this little cutie, Rizzo, while the munchkins and their parental units take a trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios for the week. We’re having so much fun!

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY BROWNIE BOMBS

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY BROWNIE BOMBS yields 24

1 box of brownie mix and the ingredients it takes to make them or a batch of homemade
3/4 cup chocolate frosting
15 ounces almond bark
1 jar maraschino cherries (see note)

  • Bake the brownies as directed and let cool completely. Do not overcook the brownies, crunchy brownie bits don’t make for good bombs.
  • Crumble the made brownies and mix in about 3/4 a cup of chocolate frosting – you want a similar consistency to cake pops. You may need to add a little more, but you want to start out on the low side and add more as needed. You want a consistency that stays together easily, but isn’t too sticky to roll into balls.
  • Use about 1 1/2 of brownie frosting mixture and roll it into a ball, but then make a hole in the middle.
  • Add one cherry into the center and fold the brownie ball in over the cherry making sure to seal the cherry in.
 Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Once you have all your bombs made, pop them in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
  • Melt your almond bark. You may need a little more or a little less depending on how heavily you coat the bombs.

  • Remove the bombs from the freezer but keep them in the refrigerator.
  • Working with one bomb at a time, drop it into the melted almond bark, pull it back out, and tap off the excess chocolate.

  • Place it on wax paper and wait for it to dry completely.
  • If you want to add sprinkles do so IMMEDIATELY as the almond bark will dry quickly.

BLACK BEAN CHICKEN

BLACK BEAN CHICKEN

1 can seasoned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Green Giant Mexican corn niblets, drained
1 cup chunky salsa
2 tablespoons butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon KINDERS taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

  • Coat chicken breasts all over with the taco seasoning.
  • Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add chicken breasts, searing for one minute per side.
  • Reduce heat to low.
  • Add beans, corn and salsa.
  • Simmer 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  • Sprinkle with cheese.
  • Cut chicken into slices and serve over rice or fritos.

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD
Cranberry orange bread is a go to fall favorite for us with its FRESH cranberries and sweet orange glaze. It also makes a wonderful neighbor gift during holiday times.


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sugar
Zest of 2 LARGE oranges
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup neutral oil
4 LARGE eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons FRESH orange juice
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract (see notes)
2 cups FRESH cranberries, halved
½ cup chopped walnuts (Optional)

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Spray two 9×5 loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl add sugar and orange zest, stirring well to combine.
  • Add flour, salt, and baking powder, stirring to combine.  Set aside.
  • In a separate medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.
  • Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
  • Fold in the halved cranberries and walnuts if using.
  • Pour batter into prepared pans.

 

  • For regular sized loaf pans, bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack.
  • For mini loaves, bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the bread with a knife.
  • For muffins, bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack.

GLAZE
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons FRESH orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
Powdered sugar, for dusting (Optional)

  • In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest.
  • Whisk until smooth.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the bread.
  • Dust with the powdered sugar if desired.

NOTES:

  • If your loaf starts to get too brown during cooking, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top to finish baking. 
  • I make my own vanilla so often have great complimentary flavors. This batch was made with a coconut pineapple vanilla.

STORING – Wrap in plastic wrap and store 2-3 days at room temperature.

FREEZING – This cranberry bread freezes beautifully.  Cool completely, Wrap well in plastic and ziploc bag.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw at room temperature.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 44 of 2022 with MENU PLANS AND RECIPE LINKS

Doing Happy Homemaker Monday, EVERY MONDAY, loyally for all these years and so extensively helps keep me on track of my daily life as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for the current week.

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Good morning sweet friends. I’m not sure how, but it’s Monday again and I have NO idea where  last week went. I was productive, but somehow the week still passed by too quickly! 😀

We have a storm moving in today and the temperatures are supposed to drop significantly later today and have significant rain. The rest of the week will have highs in the 40’s and 50’s with lows in the 30’s and even more rain.

I will be SOOOOOOOO happy when the elections are over and all the horrible campaign ads stop airing!

Just realizing that this year is almost over.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ve washed and changed out the bedding for winter. Other than that I just need to vacuum and empty the dishwasher.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have a hair appointment in town later in the week so will do the few errands around that. Fortunately it is a VERY short list as I continue to clean out the freezer and pantry.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS & PROJECTS I’ve started sorting through kitchen items and Christmas boxes making piles for donation, garage sale and keeping.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’ve finished the November menu, but need some inspiration for December.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • NETFLIX NCIS reruns
  • AMAZON PRIME STARGATE ATLANTIS reruns and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER reruns
  • CABLE COOKING SHOWS The Big Bake, Halloween Baking, Halloween Cookies, Guy’s Game Night, Girl Meets Farm and the Holiday ones start later this week COMEDIES Young Sheldon, Ghosts, So Help me Todd (not sure about this one yet) POLICE/DRAMAS NCIS series – regular, LA and Hawaii, Chicago series – Med, Fire and PD, Blue Bloods, FBI series – regular, Most Wanted and International, Law & Order series – regular and SVU, Rookie, The Resident, New Amsterdam, The Good Doctor  SYFY/FANTASY – Quantum Leap, La Brea, The Walking Dead REALITY – Amazing Race

I did something last week I haven’t done in a LONG time. I QUIT a book. I tried to hang in with it, but after 3 chapters I said no more! The writing and dialog were so bad…which really bothered me because I had read this author many times before 🙁

Tonight I’ll start Something from Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill
10/31 MONDAY
11/1 TUESDAY
11/2 WEDNESDAY
11/3 THURSDAY
11/4 FRIDAY
11/5 SATURDAY
11/6 SUNDAY
DINNER
 HAM STEAKS with CORN on the COB
 OUT with FRIENDS for TACOS at a FAVORITE TAVERN
CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
 BLACK BEAN CHICKEN with FRITOS
 APPLE BALSAMIC CHICKEN and RISOTTO CARBONARA
 PORK CHOPS and APPLE SCALLOPED POTATOES
 RED PEPPER CHICKEN and RICE PILAF
DESSERT
 
BAKED OATMEAL CUPS
11/7 MONDAY 11/8 TUESDAY 11/9 WEDNESDAY 11/10 THURSDAY 11/11 FRIDAY 11/12 SATURDAY 11/13 SUNDAY
DINNER CHICKEN & CHEESE QUESADILLA PIE TUSCAN CHICKEN PASTA CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR NIGHT or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN COOKING DINNER  FOR EAGLES BUFFALO CHICKEN LOADED BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE, BROCCOLI SLAW and SALAMI RAILROAD SANDWICHES GIARDINEIRA BRUSCHETTA
DESSERT CARMELITAS SNICKERS BAR BROWNIES

We have been getting quit a nice selection of song birds and our hummingbirds are year round here.

We have a new batch of kittens from the same stray. She just brought them out of hiding yesterday. The upside is that we haven’t had any mice since they have been here. There are 4 again. Boots seems to be handling motherhood well, but we haven’t seen Sunny (dad from the last batch of kittens) in a few months now.

SAVORY NOODLE KUGEL

Noodle kugel is a traditional Jewish holiday dish that is USUALLY served sweet. BUT, I needed a side dish and wanted something more flavorful and less than boring the mashed potatoes or rice. I just love the tender goodness of a warm kugel so decided to try making it into a savory side dish. Potato kugel is the traditional savory route, but the noodles really oomph it up a notch with my family.

SAVORY NOODLE KUGEL

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided, plus more for the pan
8 ounces cooked al dente egg noodles, rinsed and cooled
FRESH ground sea salt and trim-color pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 LARGE eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup SMALL curd cottage cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 cup baby Swiss or Gruyère cheese, grated, divided
1/2 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs

  • Heat the oven to 350°.
  • Butter 9×9 or 1½-quart casserole dish.
  • In a medium bowl, toss the noodles with 3 tablespoons of the butter; season with paprika, salt and pepper.
  • In another medium bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, chives, and ½ cup of the Gruyère to combine.
  • Add to the noodles and fold to combine; lightly seasoning to taste with salt and pepper as needed.
  • In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and the remaining 1 tablespoon of the butter; season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
  • Arrange noodles into the prepared pan.
  • Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the noodles.
  • Top with the breadcrumbs.
  • Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges are bubbling, the crumbs are browned, and the center is completely set. If it begins to brown and crisp too much add a loose layer of foil until the last 10-15 minutes.

STRAWBERRY COBBLER BARS – SQUARES

STRAWBERRY COBBLER BARS – SQUARES 18-20 pieces adapted from REE

FILLING
3 cups chopped FRESH strawberries
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
1 SMALL lime, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon Malibu rum

  • Preheat the oven to 375°.
  • Add the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, rum, lime zest and lime juice to a mixing bowl.
  • Toss to combine and set aside.

CRUST & CRUMBLE
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed and chilled, plus more for the pan
1 cup PACKED brown sugar 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1/2 cup heavy cream 
1/2 cup FINELY chopped walnuts (optional)
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar 

  • In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, brown sugar and baking powder.
  • Pulse until a loose crumb forms; continue to pulse as you add the cream.
  • Grease a 9-X13 baking dish with butter.
  • Spread two-thirds of the flour mixture onto the prepared pan and press flat.
  • Top with the strawberry mixture, spreading it into an even layer.
  • Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture by dollops, followed by the turbinado sugar.
  • Bake the bars until the top is golden and the strawberry layer is thick and bubbling, 28 to 30 minutes.
  • Remove and allow to cool before icing.

ICING
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 

  • Whisk together the powdered sugar and lime juice until smooth.
  • Cut the cobbler into small squares and drizzle with the icing.
  • Add to a platter and serve.

NOTE: Other flavor do work like cherries, peaches, blueberries and even raisins elieve it or not, but strawberry is the best we’ve tried. If using blueberries be sure to use the small WILD ones. If trying the raisins, substitute 1/2 cup of the fruit for figs and/or chopped walnuts.

GREEN BEAN RADISH SALAD

This makes a PERFECT side dish and is also perfect for any BBQ, picnic, church social or potluck.

GREEN BEAN RADISH SALAD

2 pounds green beans, trimmed to 1 1/2 inch lengths
1 + 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
1 teaspoon grated zest juice of 1 LARGE lemon
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 LARGE garlic clove, minced
8 regular radishes, thinly sliced (or 1 LARGE watermelon radish, halved & sliced)
1/4 cup avocado oil
3 tablespoons FRESH minced dill or thyme
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil.
  • Add ice and COLD water halfway to a LARGE mixing bowl.
  • Add green beans to boiling water, cooking 5-6 minutes to tender crisp.
  • Drain immediately and place beans in water bath to cool.
  • Drain completely and spin dry or use a towel to dry.
  • Whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard and shallot until well blended.
  • SLOWLY whisk in oil until incorporated.
  • Toss radishes, green beans and dill or thyme together with vinaigrette.
  • Chill 2 hours before serving.
  • Toss with almonds and season to taste with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper just before serving.